There will be plenty of time to discuss what Kevin Byard's long-term legacy with the Tennessee Titans is. But his immediate legacy is obvious.

It has been a long time since the Titans (2-4) played a game without Byard. Really long. It's tough not to shudder when you look at who put on the gear for the Titans before the safety did. Alex Tanney led the team in passing and David Cobb led in rushing on Jan. 3, 2016, when the Titans locked up the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Four playoff appearances and two division titles later, the Titans have to suit up without Byard again, this time against the Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS).

Just about every Titans player and coach has repeated the same refrain since the decision to trade Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles became public Monday: There's no replacing Byard, but it's a business.

Perhaps it's fitting that Byard's former teammates are taking a businessman-like approach to his departure. After all, they likely learned that from him.

"Coming in, that’s a guy I looked up to," cornerback Roger McCreary told The Tennessean. "I tried to learn his routine of being a professional. He had introduced me to a lot of people that worked on his body and everything. I feel like that’s a person who I tried to live my professional life like. I just feel like he left a lot of great effects on us in the back end and everything. A foundation that we look up to. Now I see how professional football players are supposed to look because of KB."

What Kevin Byard meant, and what the Titans are losing

Byard is a great player. That part of his legacy can't be erased. But his former teammates haven't been talking about his interceptions or his tackles for loss or the fact that he's technically the Titans' all-time leader in yards per pass attempt.

The focus has been on his leadership, his service and the example he set for everyone around him. Those, more than anything physical, are the qualities the Titans are intent on replicating.

"Especially what KB did for this organization, this team, this locker room, he’s going to be missed," defensive tackle and captain Jeffery Simmons said. "I respect KB a lot, on the field and off the field. I talked to him. It was an honor to play with him. When I came in, he was a great leader. I’m sure he’s going to take that to Philly with him."

McCreary and Simmons both found out about the trade on social media. McCreary, in just his second year in the NFL, joked that he's still getting used to how trades work and felt like he had to wait until he got to the team facility to find out if the news was real.

Not that there was much time for warning anyone in advance. Safety Terrell Edmunds, one of the pieces the Titans got from Philadelphia, along with two late-round 2024 draft picks, said he found out about the trade five minutes before the details went public. Two days later, he's getting dressed in the locker that used to belong to Byard.

"Honestly, you can’t pout," Edmunds said about being traded. "You can’t be sad or anything like that. It’s a business. You’ve got to transition. This is what we signed up for. This is our job. So we’ve got to go out there and do our jobs to the best of our ability. Wherever they put me, whether it’s on special teams or defense on Sunday, I’m going to go out there and try my best to help us get a win."

Byard is in Philadelphia now. There's no changing that. As Simmons puts it, the focus has to be on getting a win. In his mind, Byard being traded is no different than a teammate getting injured. Someone's not in the game. That means someone else is. And that person has to be prepared to do what it takes to win.

That's Simmons' message. And he knows it'd be someone else's, too.

"I’m focused on the guys here now," Simmons said. "I respect KB. We talked. I’m sure he would say the same thing if another guy got traded and he was still here or whatever it may be if the tables were turned."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans defenders hear Kevin Byard's wisdom even after trade